Hedgecock, White, Stanton, Rader, Merritt, Walton celebrate Fourth of July in victory lane at Volunteer Speedway
Hedgecock, White, Stanton, Rader, Merritt, Walton celebrate Fourth of July in victory lane at Volunteer Speedway
BULLS GAP, Tenn. (July 4, 2020) — There’s an old saying “it’s hotter than the Fourth of July,” and that indeed was the case Saturday in East Tennessee as temperatures climbed into the low-90s. Traditional Independence Day celebrations focus on spending time with family and friends, along with fireworks – and what better place to view aerial pyrotechnics than at your favorite dirt track.
Race fans and competitors were greeted with the sight of a huge American flag flying high over Volunteer Speedway suspended by an Exel Enterprises crane on backside of the facility for the Fourth of July racing program headlined by the Schaeffer’s Iron-Man Championship Series Super Late Models and American Crate All-Star Series presented by PPM.
Cory Hedgecock of Loudon captured the $5,000 Iron-Man Championship Series “Firecracker 40” victory, while Ross White of Knoxville led the last two laps to win the $2,000 American Crate All-Star Series “Star Spangled 40.”
Polesitter Hedgecock and Jensen Ford led the 22-car Iron-Man Championship Series field to green from the front row. Hedgecock rocketed out into the lead over Ford, series points leader Ryan King, Michael Chilton and Kyle Strickler.
Racing into the first turn on lap 4, King drove in hard on the inside to slide up in front of Ford taking the second spot, which also opened the door for both Chilton and Strickler to overtake Ford. McIntosh began working Ford over for fifth place, while behind him Dakotah Knuckles, Vic Hill and Logan Roberson were jockeying for real estate.
With the race running clean-and-green, Hedgecock held over a full straightaway lead over King and Chilton as the race reached the halfway distance at lap 20. The race’s only caution flag waved on lap 25 when smoke and fire under the hood of Jake Knowles’ ride forced him to quickly stop at exit of turn two on the backstretch.
Hedgecock powered back out ahead off the restart leading Chilton, while King, McIntosh and Strickler went three-wide between turns one and two battling for position. McIntosh grabbed third with King settling into the fourth spot followed by Strickler.
But out front the race belonged to Hedgecock, as he led from start-to-finish in taking the $5,000 victory over Chilton, McIntosh, King and Strickler. Completing the top 10 finishers were Roberson, Hill, Knuckles, David Crabtree and Ford.
Zach Sise was looking to pull off a clean-sweep by winning the American Crate All-Star Series race after he set fast-time at 13.711 seconds in qualifying and then won the Quick Six Dash among the top six drivers from time trials to earn the pole starting position for the 40-lap feature.
The younger of the Sise brothers jumped out to the lead on the start over Shannon Emery, Riley Hickman, Eli Beets and Trevor Sise. The event’s first caution waved on lap 7 when Terry Poore spun in turn two.
Back under green off the restart Zach Sise was riding on the point, while Hickman grabbed second followed by Trevor Sise, Emery and Ross White. Caution and ultimately the red flag waved on lap 14 after sixth-running Beets slammed hard into the outside turn two wall exiting onto the backstretch before finally rolling to a stop just past the turn three pit gate. Emergency and track officials were quickly on the scene to check on Beets, and he was OK except for a damaged race car.
Zach Sise jumped back out into the lead, while Hickman and Trevor Sise battled for second. Zach Sise’s hopes for victory ended on lap 16, when the left-rear axle tube broke off his ride sending him spinning in turn two and drivers behind him forced into evasive action to try and avoid a major pileup. Tyler Collins, Michael Bland and Jordon Horton got collected in the mishap, though each were able to continue.
With Zach Sise parked watching from the pits, the Sise family still had hopes of parking in victory lane as Trevor Sise assumed the lead for the restart. Back under green Trevor led White, who passed Hickman for the second spot, followed by Josh Henry and Emery. Caution waved once again on lap 26 involving Bland and Nathan Martin in turn two.
Off the double-file restart behind leader Sise, White fended off challenge from Hickman, while Greg Martin took fourth in the running order just ahead of Henry. Martin looked under Hickman racing off the corners trying to grab third, and just outside of the top five a good battle for position between Emery, Rusty Ballenger and defending series champion Tyler Arrington.
With Sise in control leading the race, the last thing he wanted to see was yet another caution. But the yellow flag waved on lap 38 for a spin in turn two by Jamison Earley.
The stage was set for a green-white-checkered shootout for the win. With green flag waving for the restart, heartbreak for Sise when he throttled-up off the fourth turn and under acceleration the drive shaft broke to end his chances of winning.
Disappointment for Sise turned into jubilation for White, as he led the final two laps to capture the $2,000 victory over Hickman, Martin, Henry and Emery. Completing the top 10 finishers were Ballenger, Arrington, Tim Maupin, Martin and Cameron Skinner.
Clyde Stanton of Knoxville jumped out into the lead at start of the Sportsman Late Model feature over David Bullington and Warren McMahan and never looked back. The “Mule Hollow Missle” Stanton led flag-to-flag to record the victory over McMahan, Bullington, Kyle Manis and Joe Bray.
Wayne Rader of Parrottsville battled for the lead on opening lap of the Modified Street feature with David Clark, but once Rader powered ahead he began putting distance between himself and those in pursuit. Tyler Haynes was smashing the loud pedal, quickly moving up from his seventh starting position to close to Clark’s rear bumper. Haynes passed Clark for second on lap 6 and set his sights ahead on leader Rader. But there would be no catching Rader, the defending Modified Street track champion as he captured the win over Haynes, Clark, Landon Steele and Logan Preston.
Lee Merritt of Knoxville grabbed the lead at start of the Classic 20-lap feature and stayed out front to take the checkered flag over John Stevens, Shaun Sise, Will Carey and Charles Bates.
Zack Walton of Blountville took the lead just before halfway in the Front Wheel Drive feature and once out front rolled to a convincing victory over Bryan Williams, Marcus Mays, Larry Stapleton and Chris Robinson.
VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY – BULLS GAP, TN – JULY 4, 2020 – RACE RESULTS
SCHAEFFER’S IRON-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES – FIRECRACKER 40 ($5,000-to-win)
1. Cory Hedgecock #23
2. Michael Chilton #97
3. Donald McIntosh #7
4. Ryan King #1G
5. Kyle Strickler #8
6. Logan Roberson #17
7. Vic Hill #5
8. Dakotah Knuckles #21K
9. David Crabtree #C5
10. Jensen Ford #83
11. David Payne #8
12. Heath Hindman #91
13. Pearson Lee Williams #2
14. Mack McCarter #51
15. Dusty Carver #9
16. Robby Moses #21
17. Joey Standridge #56
18. Clay Coghlan #6
19. Jake Knowles #66
20. Bobby Giffin #97G
21. Jeff Wolfenbarger #28
22. Danny Helton #29
Did Not Start: Rick Utsman #U12
AMERICAN CRATE ALL-STAR SERIES – STAR SPANGLED 40 ($2,000-to-win)
1. Ross White #0
2. Riley Hickman #D2
3. Greg Martin #24
4. Josh Henry #B00
5. Shannon Emery #52
6. Rusty Ballenger #52
7. Tyler Arrington #002
8. Tim Maupin #3
9. Nathan Martin #3N
10. Cameron Skinner #33X
11. Matt Long #55
12. Jordon Horton #57
13. Jamison Earley #22
14. Tyler Collins #11
15. Trevor Sise #73
16. Michael Bland #2
17. Chris Chandler #8
18. Zach Sise #9
19. Bradley Lewelling #10B
20. Eli Beets #109
21. Terry Poore #2P
22. Michael Smith #4
23. Colby Quick #5
24. Brad Lowe #16
Did Not Start: Tim Sant #79, Jamie Stanley #5, Adam Ahl #7, William Blankenship #32, Teddy Tate #6, Troy Eads #8
SPORTSMAN LATE MODEL (20 laps)
1. Clyde Stanton #C11
2. Warren McMahan #33
3. David Bullington #20
4. Kyle Manis #25K
5. Joe Bray #76
6. Dylan Cole #C3
7. Josh Detwiler #38D
8. Richard Cox #28
9. Tommy Cameron #40
10. David Robins #59
11. Lucas Fuller #77
Did Not Start: Buddy Ball #40, Brandon Waller #71, Cody Brake #58
MODIFIED STREET (20 laps)
1. Wayne Rader #01R
2. Tyler Haynes #21H
3. David Clark #13
4. Landon Steele #S18
5. Logan Preston #55
6. Donald Barrett #57D
7. Shane Taylor #7
8. Brandon Johnson #B01
9. Lance Creasman #C8
10. Kaleb Trent #3
Did Not Start: Jerry Hux #01, Chad Barrett #57
CLASSIC (20 laps)
1. Lee Merritt #14
2. John Stevens #7
3. Shaun Sise #J16
4. Will Carey #16
5. Charles Bates #27
6. Richie Overholser #88
7. Bobby Mays #5
8. Mark Sise #35
9. Chris Worsham #78
10. Chris McKinney #113
11. Michael Millsap #37
12. Jon Cook #38
13. Mac Lockhart #00
14. Chris Nix #18
15. Chuck Kilian #96
16. Michael Branam #2
17. Dakota Bowman #57
FRONT WHEEL DRIVE (20 laps)
1. Zack Walton #38
2. Bryan Williams #38B
3. Marcus Mays #12
4. Larry Stapleton #15
5. Chris Robinson #74
6. Darrell Teffeteller #72
7. David Trent #57
8. Wesley Teffeteller #27
9. Hunter Price #18
10. Eddie Ray #83
11. Cody Bean #2
12. Casey Pittenturf #52
13. Jarrod Wise #21
Did Not Start: Chayse Britton #15, Brandon Crawford #00, Brandon Viers #413
